1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a peripheral apparatus, and an authority control system capable of controlling a function provided by a peripheral apparatus such as a printing apparatus and a multifunction peripheral according to user's authority.
2. Description of the Related Art
When running costs of a printing apparatus and a printing system is calculated, total cost of ownership (TCO) including early installation costs, costs of consumables such as print papers and toner, and maintenance costs is considered. In recent years, TCO has attracted much attention in terms of reducing costs taken in a business scene, and the protection of environment.
In a business environment in which an image processing apparatus and a printing system are installed and are connected via a network installed in the office, a user who can access the network can perform arbitrary settings in printing.
Under such circumstances, in order to reduce the TCO, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-032004 discusses a method in which when a user tries to make a number of prints exceeding an upper limit, a printing request exceeding the permitted number is cancelled.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-301602 discusses a method in which an access is controlled per each user with respect to printing of a document according to a policy generated considering combination of user's job title and a security level set for the document. Furthermore, in the method discussed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-301602, a permit for an access in preference to a policy can be given to enable user's exceptional access to a document.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-031784 discuses a method in which a print setting for color printing, monochromatic printing, and two-sided printing is controlled per each user.
When permission of printing is controlled per each user, in some cases, a user cannot print a document that the user desires to print. In such a case, the user on whom restriction is put in printing a document, requests an administrator who administers printing, to change the authority of the user, or requests another user on whom less restriction is put in printing of the document, to obtain a print product of the document for him.
However, in the conventional method described above, when a user cannot perform printing due to the restriction on the user's authority, it is necessary for an administrator to change user's print right or add a different setting that gives the user an exceptional print right, which causes an administrator to perform additional operation.
Meanwhile, in the case where the restricted user requests another user to perform printing of the document for him, in some cases, the document cannot be printed at a desired timing due to the convenience of another user who is requested to perform the printing.
Accordingly, considering the running costs of a printing apparatus, it is necessary not only to prevent a user from freely performing printing without being controlled but also provide a user with an exceptional authority of printing without causing an administrator to perform an exceptional setting for each user who has a limited printing authority.